The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
A surgical procedure can be performed for various purposes. For example, a surgical procedure on a portion of the brain or other neurological structures can be performed. Generally, access to the brain and other neurological structures, however, is restricted and a substantially open procedure is not selected. A navigation system can be used to navigate and guide movement of an instrument relative to a neurological structure when direct access or view of an anatomical area is restricted.
Image data of a patient can be selected for viewing by a user, such as a surgeon, for planning a procedure. During the planning of the procedure, however, the surgeon generally illustrates a plan or selected path based upon the surgeon's knowledge or identification of various structures of the anatomy. The surgical procedure, once the planning is completed, can then proceed based upon the planning. Nevertheless, the planning of the procedure may be limited by the image data acquired, experience of the surgeon, or other limitations.